Initial jobless claims were down sharply last week

The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI), seen by economists as a forecaster for the performance of the nation's economy, rose in July for the eleventh month in a row.

The LEI was up 0.3% in July to 128.3 following gains of 0.6% in June and 0.3% in May.

The improvement, according to Conference Board Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research Atman Ozymandias, suggests “the U.S. economy may experience further improvements in economic activity in the second h...

The Commerce Department reports sales in July, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, came to $478.9 billion -- up 0.6% from June and a surge of 4.2% from the same month a year earlier.

And, as it released its July figures, the government revised its June report to show an advance of 0.3% instead of the 0.2% drop initially reported.

It's the lowest total ever for that month

What seems to be a growing reluctance to announce firings during the holidays, along with a stronger economy, helped December experience the lowest number of monthly job cuts in more than 15 years.

Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports U.S.-based employers announced planned workforce reductions totaling just 23,622 last month, down 24% from November and 28% below the 32,640 terminations announced in December 2014.

According to an analysis of non-seasonally adjusted government employment data by outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, holiday hiring by retailers fell short in November and December after getting off to a strong start in October.

The final tally shows seasonal employment gains last year were down 1.2% from 2014, making it the second consecutive year in which holiday hires declined.

The expansion was the second in three months

Following a slight (-0.2%) decline in May, The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI) rose 0.3% in June. The index was up 0.5% in April.

“Improvements in initial claims for unemployment insurance, building permits, and financial indicators were the primary drivers,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “While the LEI continues to point to moderating economic growth in the U.S. through the end of 2016, t...

More companies seeking out-of-towners to fill positions

There 's been a slight uptick in the percentage of job seekers moving for new employment in the first half of the year.

Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports that in the first two quarters of 2016, an average of 11.3% of job seekers have relocated for new positions. The relocation rate reached 12% in the second quarter -- the highest percentage since the final three months of 2014, when 15% of job seekers found work in new towns.

The forecast also reveals five employment trends to watch

According to CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast, 36% of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2016 -- the same as 2015. Additionally, nearly half of employers (47%) plan to hire temporary or contract workers.

The forecast says workers can also expect to see higher starting salaries, more teens in internships, more women and minorities in leadership, and more opportunities to move from low-skill to high-skill jobs, among oth...

May saw a slow start to the traditional hiring season

Teenagers are finding jobs this summer, but not as many as they used to.

According to an analysis of the latest government data by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, employment among 16- to 19-year-olds increased by 156,000 in May -- a drop of 14% from last year.

Over the previous five years an average of 1,259,200 teens were added to the workforce between May 1 and July 31. While May typically experiences the smallest hiring gains of the three-month period, ...

Manufacturing rebounded from a two-month slump

After slipping below 200,000 in October, the pace of private sector job creation got back on track last month.

According to the ADP National Employment Report, employment increased by 217,000 jobs last month, with small businesses leading the way.

The report, produced by ADP in collaboration with Moody's Analytics, shows payrolls for businesses with 49 or fewer employees increased by 81,000 jobs in November, down 10,000 from October. Employment among companies with 50-499...

However, hires moved lower

Job openings rose to a record high in April, while both the number of hires and separations was lower.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports there were 6.044 million openings on the final day of the month, up 259,000 from the upwardly revised 5.783 million the month before for a job openings rate of 4.0%.

The number of job openings in the private sector was up by 220,000, while government openings rose by 39,000. The accommodation and food services industry saw an ...

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